WEBVTT Kind: captions; Language: en 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:15.000 And for me, highly trained through college studies and practical 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:16.001 down to earth experience, 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:23.001 Alex Nolan is a specialist in land management, a public servant who is forester, 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:30.001 engineer, botanist, and biologist all rolled into one. Our story 00:00:30.001 --> 00:00:36.000 takes place on the Tumbling River National Forest, although it could be almost 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:43.000 any national forest in the east, north, south, or west. The time is 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:48.001 today, or any day in the life of one of Uncle Sam's forest rangers. 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:56.000 I can't remember for sure just what it was that made me decide to become a 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:03.001 forester. I guess it was a lot of things. At first, maybe, a long time ago, it 00:01:03.001 --> 00:01:11.001 was just love of the outdoors, the sound of the wind in the trees, the smell of 00:01:11.001 --> 00:01:20.001 the pines, damp with morning dew, the wild things in the forest, the clear 00:01:20.001 --> 00:01:29.001 running water in the forest streams, the wildflowers in the early summer, the 00:01:29.001 --> 00:01:37.001 color of the hardwoods in autumn, the first fall of snow in the winter. It was 00:01:37.001 --> 00:01:43.000 all that and more. I came to know that beauty was but one resource of the forest. 00:01:43.001 --> 00:01:48.001 I learned that there are other important resources, and they need men to look 00:01:48.001 --> 00:01:54.000 after them, to manage and protect them, men who don't mind roughing it and who 00:01:54.000 --> 00:02:00.000 are willing to accept the challenge of strenuous work. I don't remember just when 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:05.001 it was, but suddenly I knew that I wanted to be a forester more than anything in 00:02:05.001 --> 00:02:13.000 the world. Well, I finally made it, and now I'm a forest ranger. On one of the 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:16.001 districts where a horse is still needed to get around in some of the rough, 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:21.000 roadless sections. Actually, like most rangers, I spend the largest part of my 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:28.001 time on foot or in a pickup truck. But today I had to use my horse to get into 00:02:28.001 --> 00:02:43.001 one of those remote sections, and now I'm heading home through one of the hills. 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:56.000 Here at the north end of my district are the big falls. You can almost always see 00:02:56.000 --> 00:03:04.001 a rainbow rising out of the mist. The Indians call this Nona Saveto, which means 00:03:04.001 --> 00:03:32.001 Rainbow Valley, and that's the name of my district, Rainbow Valley. The ranger 00:03:32.001 --> 00:03:39.000 station is my central base of operations and my home. I've got a nice layout. 00:03:40.001 --> 00:03:43.001 Like all ranger stations, it was designed for efficiency. 00:03:45.001 --> 00:03:55.000 The office building serves as headquarters for my ranger district. There's a 00:03:55.000 --> 00:04:08.000 garage and warehouse to handle the trucks and our supplies and equipment. The 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:17.000 barracks is the place where the work crews bunk in the summer. There's living 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:23.000 quarters for the assistant ranger and his family, and a place where I can hang my 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:49.000 hat. I sure am lucky in a lot of ways. Lucky to have a family that loves this 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:54.001 sort of life as much as I do. Dave gets a big kick out of helping take care of 00:04:54.001 --> 00:05:15.001 the horse. He's developing into a real buckaroo. Judy loves the out of doors too, 00:05:16.001 --> 00:05:29.000 but she lends a willing hand with the chores around the house. And I'm lucky to 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:51.000 have a wife like Kay. She's a court, and so we give thanks 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:52.001 to God for our many blessings. 00:06:24.001 --> 00:06:29.000 Bruce Martin, a darn good man. He's slated for a promotion 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:31.001 soon. Going to get a district of his own. 00:06:33.001 --> 00:06:38.001 Well, Bruce will make a good ranger. He's got what it takes. The willingness to 00:06:38.001 --> 00:06:45.000 work hard for long, long hours. The ability to handle tough situations and not 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:48.000 let criticism, good or bad, get him down. 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:54.000 The enthusiasm and unselfishness that go with public service. 00:06:55.001 --> 00:07:01.000 To run a ranger district properly, you've got to do a lot of planning. 00:07:02.001 --> 00:07:07.001 Every job must be carefully analyzed to ensure the most efficient use of manpower 00:07:07.001 --> 00:07:14.000 and funds. This day, Bruce had the final figures on the Big Creek timber sale. 00:07:15.001 --> 00:07:20.001 Like all large timber sales on the national forests, a combination of planning 00:07:20.001 --> 00:07:25.001 and field activity was necessary before a single tree was cut. 00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:34.001 First, we had to make a careful examination of the timber sale area. We had to 00:07:34.001 --> 00:07:38.001 find out which trees should be cut, which trees should be left. 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:43.001 You see, the forest always has to be kept in good growing condition 00:07:43.001 --> 00:07:46.000 to produce future crops. 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:54.001 Then the boundaries for the sale were posted. 00:08:03.001 --> 00:08:10.001 All the trees to be cut were marked with a paint gun. We marked the base too, so 00:08:10.001 --> 00:08:14.001 that we would be able to check even after felling whether the right tree had been 00:08:14.001 --> 00:08:19.001 cut. Then we advertised the standing timber and starting with a fair minimum 00:08:19.001 --> 00:08:26.001 price, sold it to the highest bidder. The forest service never does any 00:08:26.001 --> 00:08:31.000 logging itself. It's all done under timber sale contract by the purchaser. 00:08:32.001 --> 00:08:36.001 Bruce handled most of this sale, and he worked closely with the wood 00:08:36.001 --> 00:08:39.001 superintendent of the logging company that had bought the timber. 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:49.000 Bruce saw to it that the logging roads were located in the proper places 00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:53.001 and built so that the land wouldn't erode and wash away. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:09:00.000 The actual cutting operations went on for months. 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:13.000 Through it all, we continually made sure that the logging was carried on without 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:16.000 unnecessary damage to the remaining trees. 00:09:27.001 --> 00:09:33.000 After the trees were cut into logs of proper length for hauling, they were 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:35.001 dragged to a central point for loading onto trucks. 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:44.000 Every log was scaled, that is, measured for the amount of sound wood it 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:48.000 contained, eliminating any rotten or defective portions. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:59.000 On the basis of the recorded 00:09:59.000 --> 00:10:03.001 measurement of only the usable wood, the purchaser paid the government for the 00:10:03.001 --> 00:10:09.001 timber he cut and hauled away. When we make a timber sale like this one on Big 00:10:09.001 --> 00:10:14.000 Creek, it's part of our overall program of timber management. 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:19.000 It's our job to see that the trees are harvested when they're ready for harvest, 00:10:19.001 --> 00:10:25.001 and for the forest as a whole, we have to keep the amount of timber that's cut in 00:10:25.001 --> 00:10:30.001 balance with the timber growth, so there'll always be crops of timber. We call 00:10:30.001 --> 00:10:35.000 this balancing of growth and harvest, sustained yield. 00:10:36.001 --> 00:10:42.000 Then there's the money that's paid for the trees. One-fourth of all the money the 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:48.000 forest service takes in, not only for timber but for any commercial use, goes 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:53.000 back to the states in which the national forests are located. That money is 00:10:53.000 --> 00:10:59.000 turned over to the counties for public schools and public roads. Another 10 00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:03.001 percent is added to the funds that are appropriated to build roads and trails in 00:11:03.001 --> 00:11:09.000 the forests. In terms of human welfare, good timber management means jobs and 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:13.001 paychecks for men in the woods, at the mill, and all along the 00:11:13.001 --> 00:11:15.000 line to the finished products. 00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:19.000 Employment and payrolls help bring stability to the homes of men 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:21.000 and to their community. 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:33.000 It means a lot to see the logs moving to the mill with the forest left in good 00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:39.000 condition to supply future crops of trees. The water, range, wildlife, and 00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:42.000 recreation values unimpaired. 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:55.000 A forest ranger's got to keep in mind all of the forest values, all of the time, 00:11:55.001 --> 00:12:02.001 because each resource ties in somehow with all the others. A big part 00:12:02.001 --> 00:12:07.001 of national forest use, particularly in the west, is the grazing of sheep and 00:12:07.001 --> 00:12:14.001 cattle. The ranchers pay a fee for 00:12:14.001 --> 00:12:19.001 the livestock they graze on the public forest land, so the animals are counted as 00:12:19.001 --> 00:12:23.001 they are put on the range because the number of livestock and the length of time 00:12:23.001 --> 00:12:30.001 they may graze are carefully controlled. This is done to ensure 00:12:30.001 --> 00:12:34.001 that there will be sufficient grass for them year after year with enough left 00:12:34.001 --> 00:12:37.001 over to protect the land against erosion. 00:12:41.001 --> 00:12:48.001 I make it a point 00:12:48.001 --> 00:12:54.000 to ride these rangelands with the permitee, that is, the man who owns the 00:12:54.000 --> 00:13:00.000 livestock. Working together we can keep the land in good condition, not over 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:06.001 grazed, and at the same time not under grazed, so that both the land and the 00:13:06.001 --> 00:13:08.001 stockmen get a fair deal. 00:13:12.001 --> 00:13:19.000 I've got 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:24.000 other jobs, all of them important, all requiring some degree of planning. 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:29.001 The idea, of course, is to make the forest as useful as possible to the public, 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:33.001 and at the same time easier to protect and manage. 00:13:36.001 --> 00:13:43.000 Take our forest roads, for example. Every road we build is necessary for the 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:49.000 management, protection, and use of the forest. Once they are built, 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:58.000 the same goes for the forest trails. They've got to be kept open for our work 00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:02.000 crews, as well as for the many folks who like to hike or ride. 00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:11.000 As in any big business, a vital part of our operation is the communication 00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:17.001 system. We have special radio channels and miles of telephone lines. Constant 00:14:17.001 --> 00:14:23.001 maintenance is required, because in an emergency, such as fire or when someone is 00:14:23.001 --> 00:14:27.000 injured or lost in the forest, you've got to get the word out quickly. 00:14:30.001 --> 00:14:33.001 One of our major responsibilities, of course, is to build up 00:14:33.001 --> 00:14:35.001 and maintain the forest growth. 00:14:45.001 --> 00:14:50.000 On our rangelands, we plant grass where needed to protect the land and provide 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:57.000 necessary food for animals. And where erosion has already cut its evil 00:14:57.000 --> 00:15:02.001 path, we restore the plant cover to bring the land back into useful service. 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:11.001 Then there's the wildlife in the forest. I like to think of wildlife as a 00:15:11.001 --> 00:15:18.001 renewable resource, just like grass, trees, a resource that can be grown 00:15:18.001 --> 00:15:24.000 and used like any other crop. Good forest management and good wildlife 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:26.000 management go hand-in-hand. 00:15:29.000 --> 00:15:36.000 I work closely with the state fish and game 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:41.001 boys to provide better fishing and hunting under the state laws for the many 00:15:41.001 --> 00:15:48.000 people who love these outdoor sports. Hunting and fishing, of course, are only 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:54.000 one part of the whole picture of forest recreation. Good camping and picnic areas 00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:58.001 and the improvements that go with them appeal to everyone and are in great 00:15:58.001 --> 00:16:05.000 demand. And here is one place the public can really cooperate by helping take 00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:12.000 care of the areas and by keeping them clean as they use them. 00:16:10.001 --> 00:16:17.000 This is one of the toughest jobs on my district, trying to accommodate the ever 00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:21.000 -increasing crowds and to keep the recreation areas in good shape. 00:16:25.001 --> 00:16:32.000 Just the same, I sure like to have people on the forest. I don't know of a better 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:38.001 way to show them what's going on. For example, folks are usually surprised to 00:16:38.001 --> 00:16:43.001 learn that insects and disease kill more trees in the forest every year than fire 00:16:43.001 --> 00:16:49.000 does. When people have an opportunity to learn things like this right out where 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:54.001 they're happening, they become as anxious as I am to keep their forest green and 00:16:54.001 --> 00:17:00.000 growing. Take those little rascals, the bark beetles. 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:06.000 They can work their way into the tree through the thickest bark where they lay 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:13.000 hundreds of eggs. These eggs hatch into 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:16.000 the larvae that eat the inner bark and kill the tree. 00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:24.000 It's my job as Ranger to keep an eye open for sudden outbreaks of insects or 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:27.001 disease and to prevent them from running wild. 00:17:30.001 --> 00:17:37.001 Everything we do in timber, rains, and wildlife management and in 00:17:37.001 --> 00:17:43.000 recreation ties into our plans for water in one way or another. 00:17:46.001 --> 00:17:51.000 The water that flows from this forest is probably its most valuable resource. 00:17:52.001 --> 00:17:58.000 That's why in managing the public range, I've got to keep the water values of the 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:04.001 land definitely in mind. That's why in handling the timber resource, I've 00:18:04.001 --> 00:18:09.000 got to always be sure that the flow of water in the streams will be maintained in 00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:15.001 good, clean supply and that the land itself will be protected against erosion. 00:18:16.001 --> 00:18:22.000 This is far more than just a pretty stream running through the forest. It is the 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:24.001 water that helps the trees and other plants to grow. 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:30.000 It is the water that the wildlife must have to make their forest home complete. 00:18:31.001 --> 00:18:36.000 It is the water that the many visitors to the forest need to fully 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:37.001 enjoy their outdoor recreation. 00:18:39.001 --> 00:18:43.001 My responsibility in keeping safe the water values of this land extends 00:18:43.001 --> 00:18:45.001 far beyond the forest boundary. 00:18:46.001 --> 00:18:52.000 This water, once it leaves the forest, has even greater services to perform. 00:18:53.001 --> 00:18:59.001 It is the water for irrigation, for building power, and serving the domestic 00:18:59.001 --> 00:19:01.001 needs of people and communities. 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:10.000 In managing this public forest, I draw on the experiences of the rangers who came 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:15.000 before me and on the practical results of the long years of study 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:16.001 by the fellow experiment stations. 00:19:18.001 --> 00:19:22.000 A ranger soon learns that he can't take things for granted. 00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:29.001 Every situation calls for its own kind of action. This is especially true when a 00:19:29.001 --> 00:19:35.000 fire breaks out on the district. Then, all of our regular plans go by the board 00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:37.001 for the moment and fire plans take over. 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:44.000 From our lookout on Eagle Mountain comes a report of a smoke at 210 degrees. 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:53.001 Bruce immediately plots it on our map. The lookout on Echo Bluff radios the 00:19:53.001 --> 00:19:57.000 position of the smoke as 305 degrees from her tower. 00:20:00.001 --> 00:20:07.001 Bruce makes his fix. It's in the Big Creek area, just logged. 00:20:07.001 --> 00:20:13.000 With lots of slash still on the ground, this can be a bad one. 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:17.001 So I call the fire dispatcher to get every available man on the job. 00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:23.000 Our own fire station at the ranger station is already underway. 00:21:23.001 --> 00:21:28.000 Don't let anyone tell you there's romance or glamour in fighting a forest fire. 00:21:28.001 --> 00:21:33.001 It's just hard, hot, tiring, grueling work. A lot of 00:21:33.001 --> 00:21:35.000 it still got to be done by hand. 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:41.000 You build a line around fire. When you can't get water, you throw dirt. 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:45.001 The idea is to keep the fire in as small an area as possible. 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:21.000 Whenever we can, we use machines to help build the line 00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:23.001 and stop the fires advance. 00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:46.000 A forest fire can burn for hours, for days, sometimes even weeks. 00:22:47.000 --> 00:22:49.000 Eventually, you bring it under control. 00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:54.001 The boys finally get a line around it and then starts the slow, tough job of 00:22:54.001 --> 00:23:00.001 mopping it up, putting it dead out. It's a real break when you've got a stream 00:23:00.001 --> 00:23:03.001 somewhere close and you can pump some water in for the kill. 00:23:14.001 --> 00:23:19.001 I always keep the dispatcher advised as to progress on the fire and tell him 00:23:19.001 --> 00:23:22.001 whenever I can what I'm doing and where I'm going. 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:28.001 When the mopping up begins, I usually go around the fire line 00:23:28.001 --> 00:23:30.000 to check it and look things over. 00:23:40.001 --> 00:23:46.000 Fire does terrible things to a forest. If everybody could just see this, if they 00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:50.001 could just get the depressing feel of it right out on the ground, I'm sure they'd 00:23:50.001 --> 00:23:54.000 be more covered with their matches, cigarettes and campfires. 00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:14.000 Yes, a wildfire does terrible things to a forest. 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:18.000 It's the little trees that suffer most. They don't have a chance. 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:23.000 The soil takes a beating. 00:24:33.001 --> 00:24:36.001 Hot water and ashes make it mighty tough on the fish. 00:24:41.001 --> 00:24:48.000 Sometimes even the animals aren't fast enough. 00:24:54.001 --> 00:24:57.001 Well, a forest ranger has to learn to take the bitter with the sweet. 00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:04.001 Fire is a villain, sure, but fire isn't the only thing that makes a ranger's life 00:25:04.001 --> 00:25:09.001 pretty rough sometimes. There are so many conflicting interests in use of the 00:25:09.001 --> 00:25:14.000 forest that you're often hard put to resolve them in the best interest of 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:20.000 everyone. Most of the forest users, the timber operators, stockmen, miners and 00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:25.000 sportsmen, are very cooperative and sincerely interested in safeguarding the 00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:30.000 resources of the forest. But unfortunately there are always a few individuals who 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:36.000 disregard the rules designed to protect all interests. They trespass on the 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:41.000 wildlife, on the timber and range, and on the forest itself through carelessness 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:43.001 and false claims of one kind or another. 00:25:44.001 --> 00:25:49.001 We must face up to this constantly. Dramatic stuff? 00:25:51.000 --> 00:25:58.000 Not at all. The real drama for me is in keeping the forest producing 00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:00.001 on the highest possible level. 00:26:01.001 --> 00:26:05.000 And that's why I'm glad I'm a forest ranger. 00:26:11.001 --> 00:26:17.000 Yes, the Rainbow Valley Ranger District, just as all the others in the whole 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:23.000 national forest system, is managed and protected in the interest of every 00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:25.001 American. For timber. 00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:29.001 For grass. 00:26:33.001 --> 00:26:34.001 For wildlife. 00:26:36.001 --> 00:26:37.000 Recreation. 00:26:39.001 --> 00:26:45.000 And for water. Not only for today, but for all the years to come. 00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:54.000 Because he is helping to guard this wonderful heritage of ours for our children 00:26:54.000 --> 00:27:00.001 today and their important and 00:27:00.001 --> 00:27:05.000 necessary contribution to the security and strength of our nation. 00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:14.000 There's an old saying that you can find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:22.000 Well, Alex Nolan, forest ranger, has found his treasure here. It's his job of 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:27.001 protecting and managing this forest so that it will always give so 00:27:27.001 --> 00:27:29.000 much to so many.